


One in a Million

by BeStillMySlashyHeart



Series: AK ficlets [5]
Category: Animal Kingdom (TV)
Genre: Gen, M/M, POV Outsider, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-07-21
Packaged: 2019-06-14 03:30:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15379695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeStillMySlashyHeart/pseuds/BeStillMySlashyHeart
Summary: Soulmates are incredibly rare. But when you find your fated match, it's supposed to be absolutely perfect. Because fate never messes up. But that doesn't mean it's easy.Or - J witnesses a mated pair meeting for the first time and thinks its the closest he'll ever get to witnessing soulmates in person. But what if his uncle had a secret?





	One in a Million

**Author's Note:**

> I am a total sucker for exactly two tropes - soulmate AUs and outsider pov 
> 
> So I thought, why not combine them?

It was a busy night at the Drop. J sat at the bar and sipped his soda. As much as he’d prefer a beer right now, he couldn’t ask Deran for one. Not during business hours at least. 

It was still a bit odd to him. It was far from the first time he’d been to the bar but recently he’s been spending his free time in the actual bar itself rather than in the back. Tonight he was sitting with Craig and Pope while Deran worked and occasionally joined them for conversation.

It was strange. Smurf’s return had accomplished almost inadvertently the one thing she could never manage to do intentionally – J and his uncles were actually getting along. Maybe it was having a common enemy that they all finally accepted as their enemy. J wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he was choosing to spend his nights at the Drop with his uncles. On the last job that they had pulled – without Smurf’s input – the other three listened to and respected what he had to say. He was starting to think that maybe he and Craig and Deran might even become something resembling friends. Though that might be a bit of a stretch, admittedly.

A commotion on the other side of the bar caught all of their attention. He craned his neck to see what the excitement was about as Craig stood up to his full height to try and see over the crowd. 

“Oh my god. Oh my god!” he heard a woman shriek excitedly. He couldn’t quite see where she was but the tone of her voice made it clear that she wasn’t in any danger so J leaned back in his seat. He watched Deran cross to the other side of the bar to get a better vantage point before returning.

“What gives man?” Craig asked Deran once he was close enough to talk to without having to shout over the sudden din of the bar. 

“Looks like they’re soulmates.” Deran answered. “Both of them were clutching their arms and showing off identical marks.”

Craig laughed. “No shit? And it happened right here?” Craig sort of shook his head. “That’s awesome. You should advertise that. Come to the Drop and meet your soulmate!” Deran chucked a rag at him in response.

“You should do something.” Pope said. The other three turned to look at him incredulously. It was one thing for Craig to get excited over a soulmate pair but Pope? He was never one for fantastical nonsense. 

Pope returned their look. “Give them a free drink or something. It’s what you do when something like this happens.”

As he finished speaking one of Deran’s bartenders came up next to him. J didn’t know her name. “Are we doing anything for the happy couple? Drinks or something?” On the other side of the bar Pope gestured in a clear see? motion. Deran flicked him off without looking at him and spoke to the bartender. “Yeah sure. We’ll comp their tab for the night. Max it out at something reasonable. Don’t let them buy the whole bar a round on us or anything.” She nodded in response and moved away.

Almost immediately, Craig launched back into his pitch about how Deran should advertise the event to bring in more business. J tuned him out after a moment but pondered it himself. It wouldn’t be a bad idea or unheard of. 

Soulmates weren’t unheard of but they were rare enough to be almost headline news when they occurred. Last J had heard, the odds were somewhere between one in a million and one in a billion. Part of the excitement stemmed from the fact that no one had any idea who their soulmate could be. It was only after initial contact that a mark would appear – the exact same mark in the exact same location on each of their bodies. It was total chance for a person to find their perfect partner. J didn’t think much of it. He’d never met a mated pair before and he assumed he never would. Except maybe tonight it would seem. 

Part of J wanted to dismiss the whole concept altogether. How could fate really know which two people would be perfect for each other? But another part of him wanted to know how it worked. After all, it’s never been wrong. In recorded history there has not been a single record of a mated pair separating or being anything other than blissfully happy their whole lives together. 

J was torn from his thoughts when Craig stood up next to him. 

“What’s up Adrian!” Craig greeted a newcomer. J didn’t know him but he thought he looked vaguely familiar. “I heard you rocked the QS.” He reached out a hand in a loose handshake. 

“Hey Craig. Thanks. It’s good to see you.” Adrian replied. He turned and nodded at Pope. “Pope. Good to see you.”

“Adrian” was all Pope replied. 

“When’d you get back?” Deran asked, drawing Adrian’s attention to him. “I thought you were gonna be out in Australia for another week or two at least.”

J watched Adrian duck his head a bit. “Yeah, I uh-I had to withdraw from the QS. So I’m back now. For good.” J could tell there was more to the story and from the look on Deran’s face he knew it too. But nobody said anything. 

After a long moment of silence, Adrian asked “Can I get a beer?”

This seemed to jolt Deran into action. “Yeah sure. Course.” He turned around and headed for the back. 

In his absence, Craig turned to J. “You met Adrian yet?” J just shook his head in response. 

“Well J this is Adrian,” he started off, motioning to the other man, “he and Deran have been friends since forever. Adrian, this is J, Julia’s kid.” He finished with another hand motion. 

Adrian reached over the two older Cody’s to shake J’s hand. “Nice to meet you. I think we might have crossed paths a couple of times. Maybe at the house or the beach or something.” 

J reached forward and shook his hand. “Yeah I thought you looked kinda familiar when you walked in. Nice to meet you too.” As he said that he put it together. He had seen Adrian before. In a public bathroom at the beach. When he helped Deran beat him up. J sat back in his chair again as Deran returned. As Adrian reached over the bar to take the proffered beer from Deran, J got a glimpse of his arm. 

On the inside of his wrist was a tattoo. J couldn’t quite make out what it was as it looked pretty intricate but he recognized it instantly. Because he’d seen it before. And as Deran turned around to help another customer he saw it again. Deran had the same exact tattoo. In the same exact place.


End file.
